Dementia Care Research and Psychosocial Factors

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Neuroscience
• Psychology

Background:

• Attitudes toward aging impact longevity and health, but their connection to cognition and Alzheimer's disease (AD) is understudied.
• Positive attitudes may enhance cognitive resilience and reduce AD risk.
• Investigating subjective outlook's influence on AD risk and cognitive function is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the association between attitudes toward aging and cognitive performance in older adults at risk for AD.
• To investigate the relationship between attitudes toward aging and AD blood-based biomarkers (p-tau217 and Aβ42/40).

Main Methods:

• A subsample of 54 older adults with a family history of AD from the PREVENT-AD cohort participated.
• Attitudes to Ageing Questionnaire (AAQ-24), episodic memory (RAVLT), executive functions (D-KEFS-CWIT), and AD biomarkers (p-tau217, Aβ42/40) were assessed.
• Weighted Least Squares regression was used, controlling for age, sex, education, depression, and APOE4 status.

Main Results:

• Positive attitudes toward aging correlated with better episodic memory recall/recognition and executive functions.
• Negative attitudes showed an inverse relationship with cognitive performance.
• Positive attitudes were associated with lower p-tau217, and negative attitudes with lower Aβ42/40 ratios.

Conclusions:

• Positive attitudes toward aging are significantly associated with enhanced cognitive performance and a reduced AD biomarker risk profile.
• Life outlook may serve as an early indicator of AD or a modifiable risk factor.
• These findings highlight the potential role of psychological factors in AD pathogenesis and prevention.